Giving your clients a great experience from booking to billing is critical for long-term success in the spa industry. Aside from providing excellent staff and service, you can also improve your customer experience by streamlining your booking process.
The simplest way to do so is by implementing an online booking system through spa business management software. With an online booking system, you can provide your clients with a more convenient and accessible way to book appointments at your spa, which can bring several benefits to your business.
However, just because you’ve made online booking available for your spa doesn’t mean your clients will make the switch immediately. To increase the number of online bookings, you must first ensure that your clients are aware that the option is available.
In this article, we’ll look at the potential benefits of implementing online bookings for your spa and a few simple ways to get more spa bookings through your website.
Why You Should Implement Online Booking For Your Spa
Streamlining your booking process by using online booking can bring numerous benefits for your customers and your business.
- 24/7 booking availability – Online booking allows your clients to book appointments regardless of the time or day. You’ll also gain more prospective clients because you’re not limiting your booking period to only business hours.
- Easier appointment management – With online booking, you can easily keep track of your appointment and staff schedules, allowing you a complete overview of daily spa operations without having to check physical papers or ask your staff.
- Eliminates scheduling errors – Unlike recording appointments by hand, which is prone to human error, online booking dramatically reduces the likelihood of double bookings or scheduling mistakes.
- Frees up time for your staff – With an online booking system from a business management software, you won’t have to devote time to scheduling and recording bookings, giving your team more time and resources to provide a better spa experience for your clients.
- Makes your spa more competitive – By providing online booking, you make it easier and more convenient for clients to book appointments with your spa, giving you a distinct advantage over competitors who do not provide the same service.
How To Make Your Online Spa Bookings More AccessibleÂ
By making your online booking portal easily accessible to your clients and informing them of the feature, you can transform your online booking service from a niche addition to the primary way your clients schedule appointments with your spa.
1. Optimise Your Website
While a well-designed website isn’t required to obtain online bookings, it allows you to make an excellent first impression, serves as a virtual storefront for your products and services, and reassures anyone searching for your spa that you’re a professional and legitimate business.
If your spa lacks or has an underdeveloped website, it may be time to begin developing or redesigning your site to coincide with your push for online bookings at your spa. Advertising that you’ve updated your website with an online booking system may entice potential clients to click through to it, improving your search engine placement and increasing online booking visibility.
You’ll generally want a clean UI with a professional aesthetic appropriate for your brand regarding website design. To cater to clients who visit your site on their tablets or smartphones, you should also ensure that the site is viewable on desktop and mobile devices.
What you should include on your website should be the essentials, such as your spa’s location, contact information (phone number and email), and any of your spa’s social media accounts that you would like to promote. You can also include a services/products page or a FAQ page for interested clients.
Most importantly, keep a prominent “call-to-action” button on your website at all times, linking directly to an online booking platform tied to your business management software. It would help if you had your booking button visible as soon as the user opens the page, so place it front-and-centre on your homepage and your website’s navigation bar.
Now that your website is fully up and running, you can direct potential clients from your online marketing campaigns directly to the site to make a booking and learn more about your spa.
2. Have A Social Media Presence
There’s no doubt making good use of social media can help you promote your spa and the services it offers. You don’t have to be on every platform, but try to be present on two or three to ensure a significant reach and presence.
If you already have a presence on social media, you can let your followers and targeted audience know about your new online booking platform in two ways.
The first and easiest way is to make a social post on your platforms announcing that your spa is available for online booking with the link attached. This will immediately inform anyone following your spa’s accounts and allows it to be shared amongst local spa-goers looking for new recommendations.
The second way is by leveraging social media advertising. While there is a monetary cost attached to most social media ads, they will allow you to reach a wider audience and draw interest from spa-goers who may give your spa a chance now that you’ve implemented online booking.
3. Have a Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free service by Google which lets people find your business on Google Search and Maps, allowing you to promote your business on the search engine and reach a much broader customer base.
Apart from providing pertinent information such as your business category, location, and opening hours, you can also link your website and booking platform directly to your Google Business profile, so anyone searching for your spa knows precisely where to make an online booking.
To add a link to your website and booking platform, go to the Info tab on your spa’s Google Business profile and fill in the corresponding section (Website & Appointment Links).
4. Promote Your Online Booking
Without good advertising and marketing, your customers may be unaware that your salon offers online booking. As a result, you should market your spa’s online booking capabilities with the zeal you would for a new product or service.
As for how you can do so, here are a few ideas below:
Add your booking link to your online presence
Have your online booking link visible on your website, social media channels, and your Google Business profile (if available) so potential clients can quickly access your online booking platform.
Put up flyers and posters around your spa.
Advertise your online booking system directly using your real estate space. You can also include a QR code, so prospective customers have an easy way to access your booking link without having to search it up.
Tell your customers at the salon.
Ask your staff to inform your customers that they can now book online during their visits at the front desk or during their appointment. This can be especially helpful for converting your stable, repeat customers to using your online booking system.
Run a marketing/advertising campaign
Run an email and social media advertising campaign to raise awareness and inform your customers about online bookings. Include a direct link to the booking system and highlight how customers can benefit from using your spa’s online booking feature.
5. Add Additional Incentives For Online Booking
Most people enjoy a discount, so what better way to encourage your clients to use your spa’s online booking system than to provide additional incentives? Monetary discounts or even free products and goodies for customers online can greatly encourage current and prospective clients to try online booking at your spa.
Now that people are fully aware of the flexibility and convenience that online booking can provide, your clients will have an easier time deciding to make the switch even after the offer has expired. As a bonus, your online booking incentives may entice potential customers to try out your spa, making it an excellent way to attract new customers during the campaign period.
If you intend to use incentives to increase your online booking rate, promote the offer on social media, your website, email campaigns, and the salon itself to ensure maximum visibility.
6. Have The Right Spa Business Management Software
While online bookings are convenient for clients, your business will greatly appreciate the switch to online scheduling, as you can have a complete schedule of your operations which makes staff management and scheduling much easier.
As such, the right business management software can make all the difference in ensuring that your spa’s online booking and scheduling is running as efficiently as possible. There are also other solutions you can find in a spa business management software that can assist with your online booking and scheduling service, such as:
- Online payment integration
- Improved activity management
- Staff & client attendance tracking
- Client preference recording
- Analysis & feedback tools
- Automated booking confirmation emails
Once you find the right spa business management software with the appointment and scheduling solution you need, be sure to familiarise yourself with the ins and outs of using the software so you’re able to use it to its fullest.
In Summary
Setting up and promoting online booking for your spa can be a challenging experience, so we hope the information in this article has been helpful in your quest to attract more clients to your online booking platform.
While it may take some time for your spa business and clients to adjust to an online booking system instead of the traditional methods they are used to, there is no doubt that the booking experience will be much more seamless once fully embraced.